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If holiday shopping lures you to electronics stores this year, you'll most likely encounter a raft of audio products touting AirPlay capabilities. Here's a quick primer on why they would appeal to the music lovers on your gift list.

Bose SoundLink Air

In the past, using AirPlay meant first getting a device to receive the wireless music stream from iTunes—an Airport Express from Apple, for instance—then plugging speakers into it. Simple enough, but the new AirPlay-ready devices make audio streaming even easier.

For example, Airplay-enabling the Bose SoundLink Air speaker ($349) is a quick two-step process. First, use your computer to connect the SoundLink Air to your wireless network (the same network you use to surf the Internet). Second, open iTunes and choose SoundLink from the remote speaker options, and you're ready to rock. Airplay-enabled speakers are also available from Klipsch, JBL, and Sony, among others.

iTunes supports multiple speakers, so it's easy to play music in multiple locations—the kitchen and the den, for instance. (Microwaves can disrupt the music stream, but this happens only if the speaker is near an oven that's in use.)

For iPhone and iPad users, AirPlay devices are even more useful. A free app called Remote lets the handheld devices take over a computer's iTunes controls, allowing you to change songs, adjust volume and even turn AirPlay speakers on or off—all without having to sit at the computer.